Jul. 25, 2013

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Dagan Lacorte is out of the Democratic primary in the race for Rockland county executive.

In a statement, Lacorte reacted strongly Thursday night to the ruling by the county Board of Elections, which disqualified many of the signatures he submitted, leaving him with fewer than the 2,000 minimum required to run in the primary.

“Today’s actions prove what our campaign has been saying since Day One,” said Lacorte, the mayor of Suffern. “Rockland is run by political insiders who will do anything to stay in power and prevent any and all opposition.”

Lacorte plans to be at state Supreme Court in White Plains at 9:30 a.m. Friday to get a justice to validate the signatures.

David Fried, also running in the primary, challenged the validity of 3,337 of Lacorte’s 4,435 signatures on various grounds. He said some of the signatures were from non-Democratic Party members, non-Rockland residents and non-Democratic Party witnesses, among other objections.

Fried, a former county legislator and Spring Valley village justice, also had filed objections to petitions filed by Vladimir Leon, another Democratic primary hopeful.

His petitions also were disqualified.

Leon said that he would take his case to state Supreme Court on Thursday in an effort to get back on the ballot.

In an earlier statement, Fried defended his right to question petitions submitted by any of the candidates — Lacorte, Leon or the fourth Democratic hopeful, county Legislator Ilan Schoenberger, as well as Republican county executive candidate Ed Day.

“David Fried is attempting to disenfranchise Democratic voters from participating in the democratic process,” Lacorte said Thursday night. “He seeks to throw out hundreds of Democratic signatures from my petitions.”

Lacorte didn’t stop there, pointing blame for his petition problems at Kristen Stavisky, chairwoman of the Rockland County Democratic Party and a county election commissioner.

“Almost immediately after announcing my candidacy, Stavisky has consistently and repeatedly tried to torpedo it,” Lacorte said. “Fried and Stavisky’s actions make it clear that the political establishment will do anything to stay in power and continue Rockland on its path towards financial ruin.”

Calls to Lacorte’s campaign manager and Stavisky were not immediately returned.